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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29422284">the gift of giving</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sadonmain/pseuds/sadonmain'>sadonmain</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dream SMP - Fandom, DreamSMP, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Dream Team SMP Setting (Video Blogging RPF), Fluff, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, Gift Giving, Platonic Relationships, Ranboo my beloved, Ranboo-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, ranboo's love language is gift giving</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:42:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,993</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29422284</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sadonmain/pseuds/sadonmain</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em> “anyway, I just wanted to thank you for all you’ve done for me. i know that it’s technically supposed to be a romantic holiday or whatever, but i figured now is as good a time as ever to show appreciation. so,” ranboo tapped techno on the shoulder. clumsily outstretching his arms, he presented the gift. “happy valentine’s day, techno.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>ranboo's love language is gift giving, so when valentine's comes around, he thanks his found family in the best way he knows how.</p><p>or, ranboo spends many sleepless nights learning how to knit.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ranboo &amp; Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo &amp; Technoblade &amp; Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>350</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>the gift of giving</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>happy valentine's day! i meant to write this ages ago, so forgive me. valentine's day was always a day of appreciation in my family, so i'd like to think it's the same for the boys.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>cold nights were always rough on ranboo. the chill would seep into his bones, deep enough aches to wake him up. when you have that many sleepless nights in a row, your mind longs for something to keep it busy. valentine’s day was fast approaching, and ranboo had always loved gift-giving. sure, he had given his rent to technoblade, but it didn’t feel enough. after all, techno had taken ranboo under his wing, making ranboo his protege. ranboo hated feeling like a burden, and recent events had worsened that feeling. philza said that the two of them truly didn’t mind ranboo’s presence -- in a way, they welcomed it. shaking the feeling of uncertainty and intrusiveness, ranboo put on his armor and went into the snow. </p><p> </p><p>a slight sting kept him lucid as he hunted for spiders and sheep. a soft <em> sorry </em> was whispered with every crit of a sheep. he had forgotten his shears at home in a moment of drowsy, cotton-headed thought. spiders were a little easier to stomach but few and far between. he knew he wasn’t in the right state-of-mind to nether travel, so he had to resort to good, old-fashioned mob grinding in the wilderness. at one point, techno awoke from his half-asleep state to see an armor-clad ranboo running around in the snow, chasing after spiders with his axe in one hand and a torch in the other. not wanting to interact with anyone that late at night, techno huffed and let sleep try to carry him away once more.</p><p> </p><p>eventually, ranboo’s pockets were filled with bits of string and wool. he trudged through the snow, taking handfuls of powdery blocks along the way. upon reaching his house, he had a moment of panic. <em> what if they don’t want anything? what if this is the final straw and they ask me to leave? </em>shaking his head to rid himself of the thought, he took his armor off, throwing the contents of his pockets onto his floor. enderchest purred as she rubbed against his leg. “hi girl, how are you? sorry, i didn't mean to take so long.” enderchest appeared to be indifferent to his apology, hopping onto his bed and curling up once more. ranboo had no intention of joining her anytime soon. he had a new project to start.</p><p> </p><p>one would think it would be easy to learn how to knit. it seems simple enough, a repetitive pattern, endless loops, and yarn until the end product. however, what was meant to be a project relaxing enough to lull ranboo to sleep ended up making him so frustrated he made some unsightly dents in his walls. enderchest attempted to be moral support, but no amount of purring would help ranboo with casting off. at times, ranboo found himself completely tied up, trapped in a colorful prison as enderchest bat around the yarn ball. </p><p> </p><p>the first scarf was more than unsightly. it became a scrap towel that ranboo used to polish his weapons. it stayed hidden in his deepest chest, mostly to avoid embarrassment. “can’t be perfect at everything, am i right?” he glanced at enderchest, who simply looked at ranboo with a blank, dilated stare. </p><p> </p><p>at this point, he had the basics down. take the needles, loop the yarn, pull through, repeat. the issue was making it look presentable enough that he could give it to techno. sure, the two of them were close, but ranboo couldn’t help but be slightly intimidated by him at times. after all, techno never dies. this was the person who had survived every war he’d been part of, with barely a scratch to show for it. yet, he was also the person who joked while on long journeys, stole god apples from under ranboo’s nose, and kept an army of hounds. those were the moments ranboo tried to think about as he meticulously knit.</p><p> </p><p>after a good number of sleepless nights, this time with purpose, the scarf was complete. bright white, like the snow that enveloped ranboo’s new home, with a bright red T on one end of the scarf. all that was left was to find a time to give it to him. he would figure out what to say when he got there. as he cleaned up his home, placing his shears in the chest, he stopped. what about phil? he certainly took on a caretaker role and provided just as much support as techno did. time was ticking down, but at this point, ranboo had a plan. this one would require a lot more wool.</p><p> </p><p>a quick journey to the mob grinder at spawn provided ranboo with all the string necessary to spin into yarn. stretching his arms above his head, he began the walk back home. this was much more ambitious, and with a tighter deadline, he was worried about completing it in time. shaking the thought out of his mind, ranboo began planning the design in his head. he formulated his plan while staring down at the bright lava below him. it was feasible, and for philza, he’d do it.</p><p> </p><p>ranboo gave enderchest a quick pat on the head before starting the project. there was only one more night before valentine’s day, and he knew philza wouldn’t be by for long. this was a race against the clock. never had he worked towards arts and crafts with such vigor. this was more than a tangible gift. it carried all the words ranboo had been unable to bring himself to say.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>when ranboo told philza and techno about the voices long ago, he felt his lungs close up for what felt like an eternity before philza unceremoniously told him that it didn’t matter. never had ranboo felt so relieved to hear such an indifferent response. he knew philza cared about him -- deeply. even if it was rarely stated outright, he could feel philza’s gentle, caring presence with every move he made. the small gestures, like throwing an extra steak his way even though he knew ranboo had an infinite food source, were constant reminders of his generosity. </p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>somehow, ranboo managed to fall asleep. when he woke, he was tangled in the yarn scraps of his finished project. seeing daylight outside, ranboo scrambled to wrap the gift, hastily throwing wrapping paper around it, neglecting to put the present in a box first. taking his misshapen paper-covered gifts with him, he walked to techno’s house. techno saw him coming and ignored the rising feeling of warmth in his chest. <em> my heart isn’t warmed at all </em>, he thought, preparing himself for when ranboo knocked on the door.</p><p> </p><p>“hello?” techno opened the door to a fidgety ranboo, his shaky hands barely able to hold onto the gifts. “come inside, you look cold.”</p><p> </p><p>ranboo nodded and gratefully hurried into the house, shaking the chill off of his shoulders. sighing as he sat on the floor, ranboo searched for his words. “today is valentine’s,” he began haltingly. <em> why was he stating the obvious? now he sounded ridiculous. </em></p><p> </p><p>ignoring ranboo’s awkwardness, techno agreed gruffly. he turned his face away, busying himself with organizing the chests under his brewing stations. he wouldn’t allow this tall gremlin to see the smile growing on his face. “anyway, I just wanted to thank you for all you’ve done for me. i know that it’s technically supposed to be a romantic holiday or whatever, but i figured now is as good a time as ever to show appreciation. so,” ranboo tapped techno on the shoulder. clumsily outstretching his arms, he presented the gift. “happy valentine’s day, techno.”</p><p> </p><p>techno turned his face away as he grabbed the gift. “this doesn’t make me like you more.”</p><p> </p><p>“i know.”</p><p> </p><p>techno glanced at ranboo for approval before unceremoniously tearing the paper off the present. he unfurled the scarf, gasping slightly as he saw the red T on the edge. </p><p> </p><p>not allowing him a moment to think, ranboo began to explain the making of the scarf. “i couldn’t sleep the other night, and it was driving me crazy. then i realized how darn cold it is here, and figured you could use more warmth. well, looking at your get-up now, maybe that’s the last thing you need. that cloak looks pretty warm, especially if you wear it with your armor.” ranboo looked down, fidgeting with his hands. for such a tall person, he could make himself look incredibly young. it was times like these when techno was reminded of how young ranboo was. “if you don’t want it, i’ll take it back. i spent a couple of nights on it, but it's not that big of a deal-”</p><p> </p><p>“i love it. thank you, kid.”</p><p> </p><p>ranboo looked up. “really?” his eyes gleamed as his smile took over his face. “wow, i can’t believe you’ll keep it! you don’t have to, y’know. don’t feel obligated or anything…” he trailed off as someone rapped on the door.</p><p> </p><p>“let me in, it’s cold as hell out here!” philza shouted through the door. techno obliged, opening the door as philza stormed inside, shaking the snow off his boots and hat. glancing at techno’s hands, philza asked, “new clothes? who are you, and what have you done with techno?”</p><p> </p><p>“it was my gift to him, for valentine’s day.” ranboo offered, suddenly worried about his gift for philza. </p><p> </p><p>“well that’s nice of you.” philza turned to techno, laughing. “he’s a good kid, glad we keep him around.”</p><p> </p><p>ranboo laughed along with them, though not as strongly. he was still nervous. “actually, philza, i have something for you, too.” he pulled the larger wrapped gift from under his jacket. with both hands, he offered it to philza. “happy valentine’s day, philza. if you don’t want it, you don’t have to keep it. i just couldn’t sleep the other night-”</p><p> </p><p>philza cut him off as he tore into the paper. techno attempted to act uninterested, but he couldn’t hide the fact that he was peering over philza’s shoulder to figure out why the gift was so much larger than his. philza gasped as he pulled out a large knit cover. he hesitated before asking, “is this…”</p><p> </p><p>ranboo nodded, sure he was about to pass out any moment unless philza offered some signal as to how he felt. philza’s eyes began to well with tears.</p><p> </p><p>“i can’t believe it, kid. thank you. this is so thoughtful… i’m speechless. thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>techno couldn’t hold in his curiosity anymore. “is anyone going to tell me what this thing is? it just looks like a misshapen blanket.”</p><p> </p><p>holding back a sigh of relief, ranboo attempted to explain, but philza cut him off. “it’s for my wings.”</p><p> </p><p>techno gasped, glancing at the gift, then ranboo, then back at the gift. ranboo laughed as he threw his hand behind his head. “well, i wasn’t sure what to do for him… i knew it had to be meaningful. something he didn’t already have. i’ve heard that prolonged cold isn’t good for wings, and…” at this point, ranboo was at a loss for words. he didn’t expect this kind of reaction from philza, sure, but techno’s reaction had finally set in as well. he couldn't hold in his emotions any longer and collapsed to the floor. techno and philza rushed to his side, hands on his back for support.</p><p> </p><p>“i’ve never had people react this way to my gifts before,” ranboo said, voice muffled by his hands. philza and techno chuckled, with techno offering, “if you continue giving gifts like this, i guarantee you’ll always have a place to stay, kid. this is good rent.” </p><p> </p><p>philza hit techno’s arm softly to reprimand him. “c’mon, the kid is an emotional wreck and <em> that’s </em>what you say to comfort him?”</p><p> </p><p>“sorry!” techno threw his hands up in defense. “please, don’t come after me for this! you know where i live!”</p><p> </p><p>ranboo smiled as he watched philza and techno continue to bicker. this was home. this was love. to himself, he thought, <em> happy valentine’s day. </em></p><p> </p><p>***</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank you so much for reading! again, happy valentine's, i love you all /p</p><p>@mxmranboob on twitter, stop by and say hi! thank you for all of the support on my late-night ramblings.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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